PAX East 2018 Schedule Highlights and Panel Overview

There can be little doubt that video game fans are already familiar with the likes of the PAX. The Penny Arcade Expo has been one of the more popular events in the gaming world for years, oftentimes stealing the thunder from bigger shows like the Electronic Entertainment Expo. This year's PAX East 2018 expo is set to live up to its previously established high standards with a number of different game tournaments and panels to be held throughout the four-day event. Players can look forward to all manner of activities, including concerts, question-and-answer panels, plus demonstrations of several buzzworthy games like Soul Calibur 6 and Death Garden. Fortunately, we've got the skinny on just which PAX East 2018 events are worth looking out for.

PAX East 2018 Schedule Dates and Times

The PAX East 2018 is absolutely jam-packed with material; in fact, checking out the official schedule over at the PAX East 2018 website reveals 12 different activities taking place at 11 a.m. on Friday alone. By and large, however, players will note that PAX East 2018 is scheduled to run between Thursday, April 5 and Sunday, April 8. The first events will kick off with the Open Jam at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, and the expo will close with the Omegathon Final Round taking place at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

PAX East 2018 Noteworthy Game Tournaments

Game tournaments will likely be the main draw for more competitive-minded players, and PAX East 2018 will have more than its fair share. Thursday will see tournaments centered around Catan, Space Pirate Trainer, Jet Set Radio Future, Galaxy Trucker, Fruit Ninja VR, and Tekken 7, with a special Super Smash Bros. Tournament being held at 8 p.m. that night. Friday tournaments include Ascension, Blood Bowl Tournament, Mortal Kombat XL, Tetris DS, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, and Rocket League, with Super Mario Strikers making an appearance later in the night.

PAX East 2018 Noteworthy Panels

PAX East 2018 attendees with a lust for knowledge will surely want to check out the event's many different panels. There are several noteworthy panels to watch out for, including the Storytime Session with Brendan "PlayerUnknown" Green at 10:30 a.m., Talking to Dark Souls Fans is the Dark Souls of Talking at 3:30 p.m., and Breath of the Wild and the Future of the Zelda Series at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Friday follows suit with panels like Bringing Video Game Characters to Life at noon, Video Game Music Theory 101 at 1:30 p.m., Mastering the Competitive Mindset in League of Legends at 4 p.m., and Cosplay 101: Materials for Props, Cosplay, Gaming and More at 6 that night.

Shack fans will also note that Suda51, the man behind titles such as Travis Strikes Again, will be hanging out at the Shacknews booth on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.

Saturday holds the panels Community Impact: How Players Shape Games at 11 a.m., The Writing of Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood at 12:30 p.m., PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Live from PAX East at 1:30 p.m., and Versus: A Speedrunning Game Show coming in at 7:30. Lastly, Sunday features the likes of JRPGs are Dead and Why You Should Play Them Anyway at 10:30 a.m., The Nintendo Switch's Surprise First Birthday Party at noon, The Psychology of The Legend of Zelda Franchise at 2 p.m., and the Omegathon Final Round closing out the show at 5:30.

There are way, way more tournaments, panels, and events otherwise that players may be interested in, so be sure to check up on the full PAX East 2018 schedule featured over on the official PAX website. Players should also be sure to keep an eye on Shacknews' Twitch page to stay on top of the latest goings-on with the whole Shack crew. Beyond that, players will be able to check up on our latest PAX East 2018 coverage by keeping their browsers aimed at Shacknews' PAX East 2018 homepage.

Kevin Tucker is a core component of Shacknews' powerful guide development team. For questions, concerns, tips, or to share constructive criticism, he can be reached on Twitter @dukeofgnar or through e-mail at kevin.tucker@shacknews.com.